1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data storage medium for use in a non-contact type personal identification system and more particularly to a portable instrument for such a data storage medium.
2. Disclosure of the Prior Art
In recent years, a non-contact type personal identification system making utilization of data storage media is used as a means for facilitating the checking of visitors, the identifying of persons, or the administering of payments of fees etc. in recreation sites and facilities with a capacity of accommodating a large number of people such as sports stadiums, large-scale exhibition halls, amusement parks and skiing grounds, and the number of facilities which are introducing such a system is on the increase.
Concretely, a data storage medium containing a data storage means (e.g., IC chip) is handed to every visitor at the entrance gate of a facility and the entrance and leaving of the visitor is administered by external reading devices installed at several check points. In another example, information about bills for fees issued in a facility, skiing ground or sports stadium is written into the data storage medium by an external data processing unit in each location and the visitor pays his bills in a lump sum at the exit when he leave the site. The personal identification system is also used in a ticketless wicket system in railway stations.
In these cases, the data storage medium is taken out of a bag or the like as occasion arises for presentation to the reading section of the external reading device for information exchange or data recognition. However, it is troublesome to take the data storage medium in or out of the bag whenever presentation is requested. Moreover, if the visitor is frequently asked to take in and out his data storage medium, this would result in such troubles as the loss of the data storage medium.
One possible solution to the trouble of taking in and out of the data storage medium and the loss thereof is to form a portable instrument by integrating a data storage medium into an accessory. As one example of such a portable instrument for a data storage medium, there has been proposed a wristwatch such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which contains an IC chip and an antenna for data transmission and reception .
As shown in FIG. 1, this instrument has an external appearance of an ordinary analog type wristwatch having a disk-shaped main body 1 and belts 10 which are respectively attached to the upper and lower ends of the main body 1 so as to continuously extend therefrom. It is seen from FIG. 2 that a movement 2 which is a mechanical part of the watch and an IC chip 6 serving as a data storage means are housed within a circular case 11, and that a core-less antenna coil 7 for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external reading device is disposed around the movement 2 and the IC chip 6 so as to be in internal contact with the peripheral wall of the case 11. The IC chip 6 and the antenna coil 7 are electrically connected to each other. Disposed above these elements is a time display section constituted by a dial 30 having FIGS. 1 to 12 thereon, a hour hand 31 and a minute hand 32, these hands receiving a watch shaft 3 which pierces through them, projecting from the movement 2. A transparent cover 4 is laid over the time display section to cover it.
The wristwatch in this example comprises the IC chip 6 and the antenna coil 7 and therefore functions as a data storage medium to transmit and receive, in a non-contact manner, data to and from a data transmitting/receiving section of an external data processing unit 8 provided for the personal identification system, as shown in FIG. 3. Since this instrument is designed to be carried, being attached to the wrist of a wearer like wristwatches, it saves the trouble of taking the data storage medium in and out of a bag or the like when transmitting or receiving data. Additionally, data can be transmitted or received with the instrument being attached to the wrist so that troubles such as losing is unlikely to occur. Another instrument similar to the above example is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. 3054683.
The instruments in both examples are designed to contain the IC chip 6 (i.e., data storage means) within the main body 1 and therefore require a space for accommodating the IC chip 6 and the antenna coil 7 within the mechanical part of the watch, which gives rise to a need for alterations in the structure of the movement 2. Further, a step for mounting the IC chip 6 and others needs to be added to the production process of the main body 1, which requires additions and alterations in the production line, resulting in increased production cost.
In addition, since the IC chip 6 is built in the mechanical part of the watch, it is difficult to replace the IC chip 6 after the watch is completed as a finished product.
A primary object of the invention is to easily integrate a data storage medium into a wristwatch without altering the internal structure of the wristwatch to form a portable instrument for a data storage medium, in which a non-contact type data storage medium for use in a non-contact type personal identification system is mounted on a wristwatch.
The above object can be achieved by a portable instrument for a data storage medium constructed according to the invention, wherein the data storage medium is composed of data storage means and an antenna coil which are electrically connected to each other, being mounted on a base material and is made in the form of a non-contact type sheet-like tag externally sealed with a resin, and
wherein the tag is secured, at a securing position, to the surface of a transparent cover for covering a time display surface of a wristwatch, the securing position being such a position that allows recognition of the time displayed by time displaying means.
It does not matter for the data storage means whether data can be written therein, but the data storage means is required to have only the function of storing data. Concretely, it can be achieved by a memory means such as ROM or RAM used in an IC chip (regardless of the presence/absence of a CPU).
The time displaying means is composed of a minute hand, a hour hand and a dial in the case of an analog type watch. In the case of a digital type watch (in which time is indicated by digits), the means is composed of digits displayed on a liquid crystal screen.
According to the above means, the data storage medium composed of the data storage means and the antenna coil constitutes. a non-contact type tag the exterior of which is sealed by a resin, and the tag is independent of the mechanical part of the wristwatch to which the tag is secured. Since the tag is designed to be secured to the surface of the transparent cover which covers the time display surface of the wristwatch, there is no need to alter the design of other parts (i.e., internal structure) of the wristwatch than the transparent cover.
The time display section is made to be recognizable not only by arranging the area covered by. the secured tag to be out of the time display section, but also by using a transparent resin for forming the entire or parts of the tag so that the time displayed on the time display section can be recognized through the transparent resin portion of the tag in cases the tag is secured so as to cover the time display section.
The invention having the above structure has the following inherent effects.
As the non-contact type tag for data transmission and reception is independent of the mechanical part of the wristwatch and simply fixed to the surface of the cover of the wristwatch, major design changes other than the cover is unnecessary. Therefore, the wristwatch and the tag can be manufactured separately, and the wristwatch can be obtained by employing a ready-made wristwatch with a minor change made in the cover for enabling the secure attachment of the tag to the cover. This allows the production of the instrument in small lots and simplifies the manufacturing process, resulting in reductions in manufacturing cost.
Other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings and claims.